It’s Friday and that means its time for some new releases and today we have two new twin packs available at D-Street in Walt Disney World and Disneyland plus online through Disneystore.com.

First up we have the new Villainous Duos twin pack featuring Pain & Panic from Hercules, this twin pack has an edition size of 1500 and was designed by Maria Clapsis. It is priced at $29.95.

And we also have a new twin pack from the Classic Collection, this twin pack features Mickey Mouse and Goofy from the classic short Orphan’s Benefit. This twin pack is priced at $29.95, has a limited edition size of 2500 and was designed by Bert.

Recently Disney haven’t been advertising new Vinylmation releases in advance, other than what we saw at the Imagination Gala event in September. We have a little information on some new releases coming out in November, thanks to our friends over at Vinylmation Exchange, who have been been able to see the release sheets at D-Street in California.

First up, the Big Hero 6 blind box series has been pushed back to the 21st of November, though it is currently available online and in selected stores.

Also set to be released next week are two new Eachez, we have have D-Tour and Holiday Boba Fett Eachez.And this week, its been discovered that the Mickey Mouse and Goofy Classics Twin Pack will be released. This twin pack will be priced at $29.95 and have a limited edition size of 2500.All of these release dates only apply to D-Street in California, so its not 100% if they will also be online and at Walt Disney World.

Happy New Year to all! Ah yes, 2013. A new year, of course, is prone to bring change. Reminiscing what the past year has brought and looking forward to what the upcoming year will bring. Out with the old and in with the new. Blah blah alright, alright enough with the clichés! Let’s cut to the chase. For me, 2012 was an excellent year in every aspect of my life and I’m looking forward to continuing that progress in 2013. If you’ve been following the first couple editions of this column, you will have read that I’m a Cast Member at a local Disney Store. By the time the next Great White North is published, the Disney Store in Kingsway Mall will be closed for a Magical Makeover!

This is the store I work at. One thing I won’t miss about this Disney Store is the wide open entrance.

The store is currently one of the last few “Pink and Green” style core stores. As Vinylmation collectors, and presumably Disney enthusiasts, almost all of you will be familiar with Disney Stores. However, there are three distinct types of stores: Core, Imagination Park, and Outlet. Outlet stores are self-explanatory—they are mainly central hubs that stores will transfer clearance items to. Most outlet stores don’t carry Vinylmation, with the rare exceptions being clearance Vinylmation that gets transferred from another store. Outlet stores also do not have trader boxes.

Most of you will recognize your Disney Store having either a wide entrance with pink and green fixtures (pink and green core stores), a red Mickey head entrance (standard core stores), or a store with a wooden frame entrance (Imagination Park stores). Imagination Park stores were launched in 2010 with the help of the late Steve Jobs. It is the goal of Disney Stores to renovate all of their stores to become Imagination Park stores. When it comes to Vinylmation, there are clear trader boxes in each store. The selection of Vinylmation varies from store to store, but the quantity depends on the size of the store. The store I work at is a smaller store, but we have seen the 9 inch Cinderella and the Cinderella collector’s set. I know the other Disney Store in the city had these, plus 9 inch Extreme Wrestlers and 9 inch Cutesters. If I see an increase in LE’s at the store once it reopens as an Imagination Park, I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

An entrance into a core store, with Mickey’s ears as recognizable as the Golden Arches of McDonalds!

An entrance into an Imagination Park store, highlighted by the Pixie Dust trail and interactive displays.

This next week should be an interesting one for me. Right now, all the product in the store is 40% off and that number could go even higher as we get closer to the closing date. We have a number of Extreme Wrestlers, Zooper Heroes and Robots 3 cases left. Nursery Rhymes were 50% off last week and many ended up in the clear trader box (finally got rid of most of the Under the Big Top figures). I’ve been able to collect about half of this set so far. There are some blind boxes of Classics and Pixar 1 – I’ve already gotten the set of each of these but might try to blind box another Oswald. So many different choices, I don’t even know where to begin! Robots 3 will be a priority, but will this liquidation tempt me to even touch Extreme Wrestlers, Nursery Rhymes or Zooper Heroes? And how about the open-window Phineas and Ferb, I <3 Mickey Mouse, Brave, and Spooky 2 sets? I guess we’ll find out in a week.

In the meantime, I’ll soak in the last week of this store. 18 years and it’s finally about to all change. Which type of store is the store you’re closest to?

This is what our mountain used to look like, filled with various plush. After the holiday rush, and no more shipments, the mountain was filled with just the three bears from Brave – Harris, Hamish, and Hubert.

Phineas & Ferb Series, Agent P, 3-inch figure (Open Edition / Retail: $12.95)Meet Disney Design Group artists Maria Clapsis, and Ron Cohee from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 16, 2012 at D-Street in Downtown Disney® West Side in Orlando, Florida as we release the Disney-Pixar Series #1 and Agent P from the Phineas and Ferb Series.Due to unforeseen circumstances, Thomas Scott will not be able to attend this signing. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

While online customers also aren’t forgotten as Pixar is released online and Fantasia 2 is released via the facebook store.

Also in the UK/Europe, today has seen the release of the Classic Collection and Pixar blind box series (priced at £8 each) and also in Japan, the Classic Collection have been released while the Pixar series is out in Japan on the 23rd of November, both series are priced at 950 Yen.

For weeks we’ve been anticipating the Classics Collection. The hype has been huge, the excitement palpable. And then there’s Oswald! With all the excitement, you’d expect Day 1 sellouts, and long lines at launch. Was that really the case? (more…)

Welcome to a brand new edition of Hits and Misses as members of the Vinylmation Kingdom give us their thoughts on a series and this week we take a look at the long awaited Classic Collection series.Hits

RogpalmerUK – For me the classic collection is a extremely strong set with over half of the series on my list to add to my collection with the main characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck being must haves (Mickey’s going to be much cheaper than his Park Topper Plane Crazy). These classic black and white characters just look crisp and smart, they will appeal to a much larger audience, even those who might not collect vinyls already and bring in new collectors. Oswald is a extremely strong chaser that will no doubt be extremely popular and pricey on the secondary market, certainly a great reason to blox this set for me.

WDWRobert – With this series I will start of by saying I am in my mid 40’s have a big love for all things Disney especially the classics. Having said that, of the eleven I can honestly can recall about most of the characters that are portrayed here. But to know all their names or even half of them I could not. Now this is a series I would like to complete. But if I am correct they will have the $12.95 price tag and that’s too much for this set.

Hits: The Classic Collection Series is a wonderful collection early creations of Walt and his creative team. This series will be greatly loved by the diehard Disney fans that love and appreciate these classic and iconic characters from the early Disney shorts. For me I would love to have the “Fabulous Five” Mickey, Minnie, Donald (who is showing his happy side) Pluto and Goofy err I mean Dippy Dog. Followed quickly by Oswald for his originality. But if I argue that I should add Peg Leg Pete and after confirming with my memory from Walt’s Biography was actually in the Alice Comedies. So when I see this series as a whole I am happy and impressed that they did this series even. This set has a “Very Nostalgic” factor here. So no matter what I am getting this series.

LibaryGeek – The biggest hit for me has to be Oswald. He’s important to Disney history, popular with many fans, and has never appeared in vinylmation form before. Plus, with the introduction of these new ears, he looks awesome. The other one I really like is Clara Cluck. I love that she’s included here, I think the look on her face is great, and her hat is fabulous.

arjaneelco – I love the fact they looked at Disney rich past to create this great set.This black and white era laid the basis for so many beloved characters and it’s great to see them in vinyl form.
As for my Hits I’ll go for three individuals, first up is Donald. His expression is spot on, he’s looking pretty mean like he was in those early shorts. Second is Pete, the actual Peg Leg is a great addition and he too looks pretty gritty and again, just like the old shorts looked and felt. My last Hit has to be the chaser: Oswald. He’s always been a special character within the Disney Legacy and it’s great to see the effort they are making to getting him back on the map through the recent Epic Mickey games, other merchandise and of course this great vinyl, gotta love those ears!

Misses

RogpalmerUK – Now while I like half the series, there are a load of characters I don’t really remember or have much interest in, so Horace Horsecollar, Gideon Goat, Clarabell Cow, Clara Cluck and Percy Pig are all characters I just don’t know and for that reason, they are big misses for me.

WDWRobert – For as much as I love this series for all the reasons I mentioned above, one can argue that they also can be the reasons for misses. For the general guest many of them will not know who most of these people are and what rides can I see them on? Okay the last part was not really a reason. For me, I would of liked to see a Steamboat Willie Mickey, perhaps the Duck that he used as a musical instrument. I would of loved to see a Skeleton from “The Haunted House”.
But I don’t have any ones that I don’t like. However things like price is a major downer for me. My guess this series will not fair as well as others at this price point.

LibraryGeek – There aren’t really any clear cut misses for me in this one, but there a few I like a bit less than the others. Donald, although he is one of my favorite characters, is one of them. He looks okay, but due to the vinyl form is beak appears very wide, while in the old style cartoons it was actually quite long. His hat is cute though! The other one I’d have to pick for a miss is Peter Pig. There’s no major reason for it, but I find him a bit more boring than many of the others – he doesn’t have a cool hat or accessories.

arjaneelco – As for Misses, there really aren’t any I think. It’s a strong set allround. It might not appeal to everyone and all ages but the Disney fans who love the long history of this amazing company and it’s founders are sure to love this set!

If you would like to take part in a future edition, just contact RogPalmerUK through Twitter or as a Private Message on the forum.

It’s another release day and today see’s the Santa Mickey Mouse released at both D-Streets and Online, while the Classic Collection also gets its long awaited release this weekend. Also this weekend the Festival of the Master’s customs are available at the event in Downtown Disney, Orlando.

NOVEMBER 9, 2012 PRODUCT RELEASED Street at Downtown Disney® District in California

Classic Collection, 3-inch figure (Mystery Box Series / Retail: $12.95)Disney Design Group Senior Graphic Designer, Eric Caszatt will be on hand for a special appearance and signing of the new mystery box Classic Collection Vinylmation™ debuting at D Street in the Downtown Disney® West Side at the Walt Disney World® Resort on Friday, November 9, 2012. Eric will be available to sign the Classic Collection Vinylmation™ from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on the day of release.

We ask that you bring no personal items to be signed. Limit TWO (2) items signed per Guest. Event and information are subject to cancellation or change without notice including but not limited to dates, times, artwork, release dates, and retail prices. Paid admission is required to enter Disney theme parks.

Also remember the Disney Friends and Family 25% off discount (DISNEYPAL) is still active this weekend along with the Vinylmation Madness online sale until Sudnay. However many of the items have sold out such as the Park 7 & 8 combo toppers, Park 9 Tomorrowland set, Park 7 Tapestry of Nation,s and many of the Park 9″‘s, as well as the Alice in Wonderland 9″‘s, Pete’s Dragon 9″ and many of the $5 vinyls including the Phineas & Ferb, I Love MM, Nerds, DCL, Monorails, ESPN, Robots 2 as others have all now sold out. So Disney have successfully cleared out a large amount of stock from their warehouse.

I’m looking forward to the return of the Festival of the Masters presented by Michaels event at Downtown Disney. This open-air art festival has been offered at Walt Disney World Resort since 1975. Being a photographer by hobby, I love being inspired by wandering through the beautiful displays by amazing, award-winning artists. I caught up with the Disney Theme Park Merchandise events team, who gave me a look at what you can expect this year.

The main signature art was created by the talented Disney Yellow Shoes Creative Group artist Joe Kaminski. Titled “Patriotic Pal,” the vibrant image features Mickey Mouse in festive red, white and blue. The original image will be offered along with a giclée, deluxe print and a limited edition pin.

Joe is just one of the many artists we are featuring at this event. We will also offer original works by Noah (who recently created the main artwork for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival), Don “Ducky” Williams, Katie Kelly, Bil Shannon, Greg Trombo, Will Gay, Randy Noble and more. One of my favorite pieces features a stunning image of Dumbo by Disney Design Group artist Darren Wilson. (It reminds me of the Storybook Circus area of New Fantasyland.) Darren wanted the image to resemble a vintage poster that would have advertised Dumbo appearing in a small-town circus.

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet artists at the Disney Artist Village starting each day at 10:00 a.m. Additionally, William Silvers will be creating original works in front of attendees at select times throughout the weekend (his art will be for sale following his performances).

In 2008, Vinylmation was introduced to the world at this annual event. We will be offering a variety of custom one-of-a-kind figures from artists like Noah, Miss Mindy (the Caterpillar figure is incredible!), John Henselmeier, Darren Wilson and others.

We will also hold a signing party at D Street with Eric Caszatt from Disney Design Group, who designed the Classic Collection mystery series. This black-and-white series was inspired by classic Disney animated shorts and follows Eric’s Have-A-Laugh series released in 2010. You can meet Eric from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9.

The Official Vinylmation blog has posted an update with clear photos of the classic collection.

Classic Collection Vinylmation Debut and Signing

We are pleased to announce the new blind box Classic Collection Vinylmation� will be debuting at D Street in Florida on Friday, November 9th and at D Street on Saturday, November 10th in California. This new collection, designed by Disney Design Group Artist, Eric Caszatt, features some of Disney’s beloved classics like Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Clara Cluck, Pete, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck, among others.

Classic Collection Vinylmation� Signing with Eric Caszatt

November 9, 2012
D Street, Downtown Disney® West Side, Walt Disney World® Resort
11:00 am � 1:00pmDisney Design Group Senior Graphic Designer, Eric Caszatt will be available to sign the Classic Collection Vinylmation� from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on the day of release.

Disney Design Group Senior Graphic Designer, Eric Caszatt be available to sign the Classic Collection Vinylmation� from 10:00 am to 12 Noon on the day of release.

We ask that you bring no personal items to be signed. Limit TWO (2) items signed per Guest. Event and information are subject to cancellation or change without notice including but not limited to dates, times, artwork, release dates, and retail prices